Spot Light: From the Fans

All throughout my life I have been a part of a racing family. My father grew up racing and started through his father's racing. My mother raced dirt bikes and my brother went to the SCCA racing school when he was at a young age. I have not obtained my racing license yet, but I hope to have some stories of my own one day and to follow in the rather large racing shoes of my father.

My father's racing prime time was at a time when I was either not conceived yet or too young to understand. However, I have heard countless stories of his achievements and rough crashes! I have seen so many photographs and articles of his racing time and throughout his racing pictures I have seen how Road Atlanta has transformed over the years. It has gone from just a track with no billboards and just people racing for fun and no big events going on, to seeing what Road Atlanta has become today.

Being the owner of a race track apparently didn't mean much to a hotel near Sebring. In 1970, after the Friday races, Earl Walker and Charlie Earwood were standing somewhere near the racetrack with worried looks on their faces when I saw them and asked what was wrong. They had gotten to the hotel late, Earl said, and found that their reservation had been given to someone else.

I am going to date myself here ... However I have a very fond memory at Road Atlanta when I was a child...

This story is pre turn 10A and 10B when the "dip" was still a major factor in how drivers took on Road Atlanta. My Dad at very early age got me involved with SCCA crewing for a family friend on his Triumph TR-7. At the time this car was extremely competitive and won a couple SCCA PRO-IT championships. In PRO-IT the rules stated that cars had to have a passenger seat. PRO-IT cars were/are former street cars turned to racecars.

Amanda Patrick and Ned JungDate: October 2, 2010Location: Starting grid before the race at Road Atlanta

Amanda Patrick:My name is Amanda Patrick. Within the past five years of me working at Costco in Buford I've befriended many members who shop there. A close friend of mine now, Dick Barbour and his wife Ivanna, are a significant part of the Robertson racing team of which I've been a fan of theirs for a while. I appreciate any time I can spend talking with the many team members, and have learned lots from them. I'm slowing developing my own racing career to hopefully be a driver for a team as big as them one day.